Types of Papers: Literary Analysis

If you’ve been asked to analyze a piece of literature, try following these steps:

1. Identify the author's purpose. Ask yourself, what theme or main idea did the author want the reader to understand after he or she had finished reading?

2. Think of the characters, tone, setting, rhythm, plot, imagery, etc. as devices or tools that help ensure that the reader "gets" the meaning that the writer intended him or her to learn.

3. Ask yourself, why did the author choose to use these devices, in these particular ways? How does this kind of character, plot event, or type of imagery help the reader understand the theme? Remember, tell us how & why—don’t just summarize!

Need an example?

Sample Summary Analysis! Story

Robin Hood Robin Hood stole goods and money The use of a monarchy or kingdom setting in Robin Hood from the rich residents of his town allowed the author to portray the abuses of power that often to give to the town’s poorer occur among the wealthiest members of a community. residents.

Snow White Snow White falls into a deep, death- The use of certain plot elements in Snow White, such as the like slumber when she takes a bite poisoned apple and resulting slumber, help readers of a poisoned apple. understand that being too trusting can lead to dire consequences.

Cinderella Cinderella tells the story of a young The author of Cinderella paired lazy female characters with a girl whose evil stepmother tries to hard–working female protagonist to show that hard work keep her from her true love. leads to love and happiness.

Some material borrowed from: Bucks County Community College Writing Center; Cobb County’s A Guide to the Research Paper, Upland High School’s Student Writer’s Handbook, MLA Handbook for Writer’s of Research Papers Writing the Analysis: The Parts

Remember: Your essay must…

1. Cover the topic you are writing about. 2. Have a central idea (stated in your thesis) that guides its development. 3. Be organized so that every part contributes something to the reader’s understanding of the central idea.

The Thesis Statement

The thesis statement tells your reader what to expect: it is precisely worded declarative sentence that states the purpose of your essay -- the point you are trying to make.

The following are thesis statements which would work for a literary analysis essay: a. Gwendolyn Brooks’s 1960 poem “The Ballad of Rudolph Reed” demonstrates how the poet uses the conventional poetic form of the ballad to treat the unconventional poetic subject of racial intolerance. b. The fate of the main characters in Antigone illustrates the danger of excessive pride. c. The imagery in Dylan Thomas’s poem “Fern Hill” reveals the ambiguity of people’s relationship with nature.

The Introduction

The introduction to your literary analysis essay should try to hook your reader and draw him/her into your essay. You may also want to include background information relevant to your thesis and necessary for the reader to understand the position you are taking.

The following are types of introductions/hooks that serve as creative beginnings for your essay:

1. A Startling fact or bit of information Two citizens were arrested as witches during the Salem witch scare of 1692. Eventually, nineteen were hanged, and another was pressed to death (Marks 65). 2. A bit of dialogue between two characters “It is another thing. You (Frederic Henry) cannot know about it unless you have it.” “ Well,” I said, “If I ever get it, I will tell you (priest).” (Hemingway 72) With these words, the priest in Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms sends the hero, Frederic, in search of the ambiguous “it” in his life.

3. A meaningful quotation (from the work or “To be or not to be, that is the question”{3.1.57}. This another source) familiar statement expresses the young prince’s moral dilemma in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. 4. A universal idea. The terrifying scenes a soldier experiences on the front follow him throughout his life—if he manages to survive the war. 5. A rich, vivid description of the setting Sleepy Maycomb, like other Southern towns, suffers considerably during the Great Depression. Poverty reaches from the privileged families, like to Finches, to the Negroes and “white trash” Ewells, who live on the outskirts of town. Harper Lee paints a vivid picture of life in this humid Alabama town where tempers and bigotry explode into conflict. 6. An analogy or metaphor Life is like a box of chocolates; we never know what we’re going to get. This element of uncertainty plays a major role in many dramas. For example, in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet have no idea what

In addition, you need to include the title of the work of literature and name of the author.

The following are satisfactory introductory paragraphs which include appropriate thesis statements: a. The first paragraph of Alberto Alvaro Rios’s short story “The Secret Lion” presents a twelve-year-old boy’s view of growing up -- everything changes. As the narrator tells readers, when the magician pulls a tablecloth out from under a pile of dishes, children are amazed at the “stay-the-same part,” while adults focus only on the tablecloth itself (42). Adults have the benefit of experience and know the trick will work as long as the technique is correct. When individuals “grow up” they gain this experience and knowledge, but they lose their innocence and sense of wonder. In other words, the price one pays for growing up is a permanent sense of loss. This tradeoff is central to “The Secret Lion.” The key symbols in the story reinforce its main theme: change is inevitable and always accompanied by a sense of loss. b. The setting of John Updike’s story “A & P” is crucial to our understanding of Sammy’s decision to quit his job. Even though Sammy knows that his quitting will make life more difficult for him, he instinctively insists upon rejecting what the A & P represents in the story. When he rings up a “No Sale” and “saunter[s]” out of the store, Sammy leaves behind not only a job but the rigid state of mind associated with the A & P. Although Sammy is the central character in the story and readers learn much about him, Updike seems to invest as much effort in describing the setting as he does Sammy. The title, after all, is not “Youthful Rebellion” or “Sammy Quits” but “A & P.” In fact, the setting is the antagonist of the story and plays a role that is as important as Sammy’s.

The term regularly used for the development of the central idea of a literary analysis essay is the body. In this section you present the paragraphs (at least 3 paragraphs essay) that support your thesis statement. Good literary analysis essays contain an explanation of your ideas and evidence from the text (short story, poem, play) that supports those ideas. Textual evidence consists of summary, paraphrase, specific details, and direct quotations.

The substance of each of your developmental paragraphs (the body of your essay) will be the explanations, summaries, paraphrases, specific details, and direct quotations you need to support and develop the more general statement you have made in your topic sentence.

In its simplest form, each body paragraph can be organized as follows:

1. Topic Sentence that Identifies one aspect of thesis and Ex: Sammy’s description of the A&P supports thesis. gives reason why it’s true. presents a setting that is ugly, monotonous, and rigidly regulated. 2. Lead-in to concrete detail. Phrase or sentence that preps reader Ex: Furthermore, Readers can by introducing the speaker, setting, or identify with the uniformity Sammy situation. describes because they have all been in chain stores. (situation) 3. Concrete Detail A specific example from the literature Ex. The "usual traffic in the store that is evidence to support your topic moves in one direction (except for the sentence/thesis. Can be a combination swim suited girls, who move against of a paraphrase and a direct quotation. it), and everything is neatly organized and categorized in tidy aisles. 4. Commentary/Explanation Your explanation/interpretation of the Ex. The dehumanizing routine of this concrete detail. May include environment is suggested by Sammy's interpretation, analysis, insight, and/or offhand references to the typical reflection. shoppers as "sheep," "house slaves," and "pigs." 5. Transition and Lead-in to Transitions are words/phrases that Ex. Another example… next concrete detail. connect one idea to the next, both Later in the story… between and within paragraphs. Not only…but also… Futhermore… As such… 6. Next concrete detail 7. Commentary/Explanation 8. Concluding/Clincher Concludes the paragraph by tying the These regular customers seem to walk Sentence concrete details and commentary back through the store in a stupor; as to the thesis. Sammy tells us, not even dynamite could move them out of their routine (485).

The following is the first developmental paragraph after one of the introductory paragraphs (C) above:

TOPIC SENTENCE Sammy’s descriptions of the A&P present a setting that is ugly, monotonous, and rigidly regulated. (LEAD-IN WITH TRANSITION) As such, readers can identify with the uniformity Sammy describes because they have all been in chain stores. (CONCRETE DETAILS-2)The fluorescent light is as blandly cool as the "checkerboard green-and-cream rubber tile floor" (486). The "usual traffic in the store moves in one direction (except for the swim suited girls, who move against it), and everything is neatly organized and categorized in tidy aisles. (COMMENTARY)The dehumanizing routine of this environment is suggested by Sammy's offhand references to the typical shoppers as "sheep," "house slaves," and "pigs." (CONCLUSION/CLINCHER)These regular customers seem to walk through the store in a

This paragraph is a strong one because it is developed through the use of quotations, summary, details, and explanation to support the topic sentence. Notice how it relates back to the thesis statement.

Your literary analysis essay should have a concluding paragraph that gives your essay a sense of completeness and lets your readers know that they have come to the end of your paper. Do not introduce a new topic in your conclusion.

Your concluding paragraph should do one of the following:

1. Reflect on how your essay topic relates to the book as a whole. 2. Evaluate how successful the author is in achieving his or her goal. 3. Make a prediction. 4. Connect back to your thesis/ restate your thesis in different words. 5. Summarize the main points you have made.

Below is the concluding paragraph from the essay already quoted above (A) about Browning's poem "My Last Duchess":

If the Duke has any redeeming qualities, they fail to appear in the poem. Browning's emphasis on the Duke's traits of arrogance, jealousy, and materialism make it apparent that anyone who might have known the Duke personally would have based his opinion of him on these three personality "flaws." Ultimately, our opinion of the Duke is not a favorable one, and it is clear that Browning meant us to feel this way.

The Title of Your Essay It is essential that you give your essay a title which is descriptive of the approach you are taking in your paper. Just as you did in your introductory paragraph, try to get the reader's attention. Using only the title of the literary work you are examining is unsatisfactory.

The titles that follow are appropriate for the papers (A, B, C) discussed above:

 Robert Browning's Duke: So What's to Like?  The A & P as a State of Mind  "The Secret Lion": It's Hard to Grow Up

1. Works Cited Page

Because you will be both paraphrasing and using direct quotations from your text, you must include a separate Works Cited/Bibliography page listing your text.

2. Parenthetical Documentation

USING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE--The skillful use of textual evidence -- summary, paraphrase, specific detail, and direct quotations -- can illustrate and support the ideas you are developing in your essay. However, textual evidence should be used judiciously and only when it directly relates to your topic. The correct and effective use of textual evidence is vital to the successful literary analysis essay.

Summary If a key event or series of events in the literary work support a point you are trying to make, you may want to include a brief summary, making sure that you show the relevance of the event or events by explicitly connecting your summary to your point. Below is an effective summary (with its relevance clearly pointed out) from the essay "The Secret Lion" :

The boys find the grinding ball, but later attempt to bury it (SUMMARY). Burying it is their futile attempt to make time stand still and to preserve perfection (RELEVANCE).

Paraphrase You can make use of paraphrase when you need the details of the original, but not necessarily the words of the original: paraphrase to put someone else's words into your own words. Below is an example (also from the paper on "The Secret Lion") of how to "translate" original material into part of your own paper:

Original: "I was twelve and in junior high school and something happened that we didn't have a name for, but it was nonetheless like a lion, and roaring, roaring that way the biggest things do."

Paraphrase: Early in the story, the narrator tells us that when he turned twelve and started junior high school, life changed in a significant way that he and his friends couldn't quite find a name for.

Specific Detail Various types of details from the text lend concrete support to the development of the central idea of your literary analysis essay. These details add credibility to the point you are developing.

Giving Credit when Paraphrasing and Quoting Directly A brief parenthetical reference placed where a pause would naturally occur to avoid disrupting the flow of your writing (usually at the end of a sentence, before the period).

1. Brief quotations (four lines or fewer of prose and three lines or fewer of poetry) should be carefully introduced and integrated into the text of your paper. Put quotation marks around all briefly quoted material.

Prose example: As the "manager" of the A & P, Lengel is both the guardian and enforcer of "policy." When he gives the girls "that sad Sunday-school-superintendent stare," we know we are in the presence of the A & P's version of a dreary bureaucrat who "doesn't miss much" (487).

Make sure you give page numbers when necessary. Notice that in this example the page numbers are in parenthesis after the quotation marks but before the period.

 Most often you will use the author’s last name and page number clearly referring to a source listed on the “Works Cited” page

Ex. Hemingway’s writing declined in his later career (Shien 789).

Ex. According to Francis Guerin, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn reflects “those same nightmarish shadows that even in our own time threaten to obscure the American Dream” (49).

2. Lengthy quotations should be separated from the text of your paper.  More than four lines of prose should be double spaced and indented ten spaces from the left margin, with the right margin the same as the rest of your paper.

Note: Do not use quotation marks to set off these longer passages because the indentation itself indicates that the material is quoted.

Prose example: The first paragraph of "The Secret Lion" introduces the narrator as someone who has just entered adolescence and isn't quite sure what to make of it: I was twelve and in junior high school and something happened that we didn't have a name for, but it was there nonetheless like a lion, and roaring, roaring that way the biggest things do. Everything changed. Just that. Like the rug, the one that gets pulled -- or better, like the tablecloth those magicians pull where the stuff on the table stays the same but the gasp! from the audience makes the staying-the-same part not matter. Like that. (41-42)

Make sure you give page numbers when necessary. Notice in this example that the page numbers are in parenthesis after the period of the last sentence.

1. You must give a clear, full reference to the work and author you are writing about somewhere in your introductory paragraph

2. Use the correct format for referring to the work you are discussing. The titles of short stories, poems, and essays should be placed in quotation marks; the titles of novels, plays, films, and TV shows should be italicized:

"My Last Duchess" (poem) Antigone (play) "The Secret Lion" (short story) Forest Gump (movie) Pride and Prejudice (novel) Roseanne (TV show)

3. Use the present tense when you are discussing and writing about literature -- literary works are considered to exist in the present

EDITING CHECKLIST

1. Is the topic you have chosen to write about manageable for the length of the paper you are writing? Is it too narrow or too broad?

2. Is your title engaging? Does it suggest the approach you are taking in your paper?

3. Does your first paragraph introduce your topic, name the writer and the work, and end with your thesis statement? Will it get the reader's attention?

4. Is your thesis clear? Does it state the central idea of your paper?

5. Is your paper organized in a way that your reader will be able to follow?

6. Are your developmental paragraphs unified (everything in the paragraph relates to the topic of the paragraph) and coherent (everything in the paragraph is arranged in a logical order)?

7. Have you used transitional words where necessary within each paragraph? Are there transitions linking all the paragraphs of your essay?

8. Does your concluding paragraph provide a sense of closure?

9. Have you used technical terms correctly?

10. Have you used brief summary, paraphrase, specific details, and direct quotations? Have you explained why you are using them and how they support your central idea?

11. If you have used information from sources outside the actual work of literature (for example, books of criticism), have you documented this information properly? To provide documentation for literary papers, you need to use MLA documentation style.

12. Have you proofread your final draft?